MaoMaz! Drabbles
by half-demon priestess
Summary: Lots of little clips of Almaz and Mao! Rated M for Mao's mouth and a shippy after taste that will gradually increase over time
1. Princess Arrives

Arrival of the princess

Arrival of the princess

Almaz walked behind Mao looking at the ground as they walked back to Mao's room/laboratory. 'Why did she have to come? To have the princess see me like this…' He sighed. 'And by the sound of it Mao seriously intends to keep me as a servant forever! I just want to go home, I never told mother or father what I was going to do and I've been gone for so long now…'

"Fake-hero! Stop sulking!" Mao glared at his servant. "Aren't you meant to be happy seeing your princess? All my research points to this 'love' causing a sense of euphoria for the victim! Are you trying to prove me wrong?!" Almaz sighed. 'He just doesn't get it…'

"Gomen Mao-sama, I was just… Seeing the princess just made me think of home that's all."

"Home?! What the hell is so special about the human world?" Almaz shook his head.

"It's not that Mao, there's nothing wrong with the demon world… I-I just miss my family, I never-"

"Pfft! Let me guess, you never told them you were coming to kill the overlord? Maybe your afraid their worried about you?! Don't be ridiculous! If they were even worried in the slightest they would have come looking for you by now! And if you went to make it up to them they'd just throw you out! You're a demon now and pathetic, cry-baby excuse for a hero! No-one in their right minds would possibly miss yo-!" The sound of Almaz's hand slapping Mao in the face rang through the school. At that moment all the freshmen were silent, not wanting to draw Mao's attention.

Mao touched the bruised skin as if he was unsure what happened was real. It was impossible for Almaz to see his expression, he was afraid to look. He pulled the offending hand back and hugged it against his chest.

"Mao-sama… I…" Before Almaz could continue Mao burst out laughing, he grinned madly.

"It seems you're becoming a demon a lot faster than anticipated! However…" He stopped laughing. Almaz felt Mao's fist collide with his chest painfully, the sounds of ribs cracking broke the silence of the campus. "Never forget, I am your master now!" He let Almaz drop to the ground wheezing. "Don't forget to come back once you're able to get up; don't make me send Geoffrey to find you." With that he walked off by himself.

Almaz struggled to breathe; he could feel his ribs stabbing into his lungs with every breath. The floor was dirty and cold, smelled of blood but he couldn't make his rebellious limbs move. 'I've really done it this time…'

"Hasn't anyone told you that loitering in the halls is wrong fake-hero?" Beryl loomed over him.

"Gomen…" Almaz struggled to push himself up; he coughed harshly causing his lungs burned and blood dripped from his mouth to the floor.

"Huh? You're really hurt! Don't worry, as the number one delinquent I can't let a fellow student be by himself in this kind of condition!" The small demon wrapped her arm around his waist and pulled him off the ground. 'Miss Beryl is really strong for someone so small…' She smiled at him. "Mao's probably going to blow a gasket if he sees you like this. I wouldn't want to be the poor sap who did this too you right now. Let's get you to the nurse's office!"

"Miss Beryl I'm supposed to go back to Mao's room now!" She poked him in the ribs. Almaz whimpered.

"Don't be stupid, Mao will understand when he finds out what happened to you. He may be a jerk but he does-"

"He's right chic. He really does have to get back or Mao will send Geoffrey to come get him or that's what boss said." Beryl growled at him.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mao wouldn't do that unless he was the one who…"

"Looks like you figured it out, he got the boss pretty mad and he's facing the consequence." The pig demon walked away and Beryl groaned.

"Well, I guess it would be bad if we let Geoffrey get his hands on you. Let's get you back to Mao's room fake-hero…"

"T-thank you Miss Beryl…"

"Don't worry about it; it's a delinquent's job to help their fellow students."

Next drabble: Sexual Harrasment


	2. Sexual Harrasment

Sexual Harassment

Sexual Harassment

"Fake-hero, get up!" Almaz groaned and pushed off the warm covers of his bed. Slowly the dark room came into focus. His room was bare, with only the plain bed he sat on now and a small table. It was dark and depressing but it was connected to Mao's room and compared to that it was a breath of fresh air. "Fake-hero!!"

'I better get up before he gets upset again.' Ignoring the dull pain in his chest, Almaz got out of bed slowly. 'At least there is one benefit to becoming a demon, I'm almost healed already.'

"I'm up Mao-sama…" Almaz yawned.

"Good, good… It's time to check your transformation process again! Feeling anything strange, like unexplainable back pains?"

"Ahh… No…"

"Damn it, it's so far on and still no sign of a tail or wings. Still, it doesn't hurt to double check…"

"No really Mao, that's not necess-ack!" Mao grabbed Almaz by the shirt and pressed him against the wall. "Mao let go!" The two struggled, Almaz was losing badly Mao already had his shirt. 'Eh?! His hands are everywhere!'

"Hnn, there's a blue mark on you back in the shape of wings, looks like things are moving along and where there are wings there's-!"

"Mao! That's enough right?"

"No, this is valuable information! No let's see how the tails coming…" Mao went for his pants, glasses fogged up. 'He's enjoying this way too much!'

"Mao, get your hands off me! This-this is SEXUAL HARRASMENT!" Mao froze.

"What's that?"

"You don't know what that is?!"

"Not a clue, is it part of that 'love' you hero's always talk about? Ooh! Another stunning development! I'll figure out the hero's strength in no time at this rate!" Mao was cackling to himself now, forgetting all about Almaz and the awkward position they were in. Almaz felt the frustration bubbling inside him. 'How in the world can someone who is so smart be so… so…?'

"STUPID! Mao sexual harassment has nothing to do with love! It's like the complete opposite!" Mao glared at him.

"Why didn't you tell me that earlier? You got me all excited for nothing!" He paused. "So what in the world is sexual harassment anyway?"

"Well…" Almaz shuddered under Mao's heated gaze. 'If I explain it to him, the worst thing that could happen is he'll start doing it intentionally to be evil… The best case is that he'll throw me out the window right now for suggesting he'd do such a thing… Neither seems to be a very attractive outcome for me…'

Unbeknownst to Mao and Almaz, Beryl entered and got the view of a lifetime.

"Mao, come and… Girls get the camera! MAO'S RAPING ALMAZ!" For the second time in as many days the school was completely silent. Mao looked at her in complete shock; for once in his life he was speechless.

"What the hell Beryl! I am not!"

"Then why are you on top of him?" Mao flustered and was off Almaz in an instant, he charged at Beryl. "You damn delinquent! You're going to get it once I get my hands on you!"

Almaz was left on the cold floor. 'At least that's over for now… Princess, I didn't know a person could be violated in so many places… How am I supposed to protect you if I can't stop Mao in one of his episodes?'

"Fake-hero, would you like a hand in getting up?" Almaz blinked. Asuka and Kyoko.

"No thank you, I'm alright." Almaz brushed off the dirt. "Not a scratch on me this time!"

"That's good, even if you are a fake hero; it is still refreshing to hear such good manners."

"Y-you're welcome Kyoko-san… Now where did my shirt go?"

"You mean these?"

"Ahh… No, that's Mao's by the looks of it, Asuka-san. " Almaz dug into the piles of junk that filled Mao's room. "Honestly, it was here a second ago!" Almaz began to panic. "I only have one outfit; I can't go around half-naked forever!"

"Why not? Many demons do just that, some never wear clothes at all." Asuka stated bluntly. "Even delinquents don't have a dress code that requires a shirt."

"Ehh?! T-that's so…so… Never mind! I have to find my clothes!"

"Although it is a great idea! We could even get uniforms! We must suggest it to our lady."


	3. Meaning

Meaning

Meaning

Almaz stared up at the ceiling; as usual the school wasn't quite, even when most demons would be sleeping. The night was filled with the sound of snoring from nearby rooms, the dull thuds coming from the hallways when two demons bumped into each other and started a fight, and possibly the most annoying of all. The sounds of Mao's lab, every gear creaked and screeched. It was just in the room next to him and it dug into his ears and refused to let go. Almaz had always been a light sleeper back in the human world; he'd jump in the night every time anything so much as creaked. Now he was in the demon world, unless he was passed out (which happened far too much for his liking thanks to Mao) Almaz was lying awake at night until he fainted in exhaustion. However, tonight there was something else ensuring that he couldn't rest, ever since that morning Mao had been ripping the school apart trying to catch Beryl. It didn't seem hard because her delinquent nature led her to follow a rigorous schedule of classes and curfews but she was very experienced at giving Mao the slip. Mao's screams of rage had been the only thing you could hear for the last seventeen hours.

Almaz jumped up and ran to the wall, pressing his ear against it. 'That's strange… It didn't sound like Mao caught Miss Beryl yet but it's… quiet now. Almost too quiet…' The only sound that he could hear was someone stomping through the hallway. 'Shoot, their coming this way… That must mean Mao gave up on chasing Miss Beryl, he must be in a very bad mood…' Almaz bit his lip. 'I don't want Mao to get mad at me again… I didn't do anything this time… Please god, let it be someone else. Mao's probably in the abandoned part of the school right now so I can't hear him anymore.' Unfortunately for Almaz god wasn't listening, the door to Mao's room was slammed with enough force to make his room shake. 'It's a good thing Geoffrey is so good at fixing things that sounds like it's broken.'

"Almaz! Get out here!" Hearing the impatience in Mao's voice Almaz rushed to the door.

"Y-yes Mao-sama?"

"Almaz, Beryl took the time to explain to me your human term of 'sexual harassment' and," Almaz shrunk back from Mao; he was giving him a very heated glare. "Honestly, what do you take me for? If I'm going to take advantage of you I'll just do it I wouldn't use some cheap excuse!" Mao advanced towards him menacingly and Almaz stepped back. 'Princess, I don't like the looks of this…' Almaz pressed himself against the wall behind him hoping to disappear into the wall. "To think you can complain about something as simple as inspection of your transformation. Do you even know what 'sexual harassment' actually entails?" Mao grabbed him by the scarf. "Never mind, someone like you, who moons after a girl who has never even met you probably means you've never been kissed either right?"

"E-eh? What does that have to do with-?" Almaz's weak protest was muffled by Mao's mouth. 'Oh god! What have I gotten myself into now?!' Mao shoved him against the wall. The minutes dragged on and Almaz began to see stars, it was impossible to breathe, the lack of oxygen turned his futile attempts to push Mao away into nothing. Mao's free hand pushed up his shirt and his nails dug into Almaz's skin.

When Almaz was sure he was going to pass out, Mao released him. Without Mao holding him up Almaz dropped onto his knees panting for breath.

"Mao-sama…W-what was that-"

"Don't forget fake-hero, I don't need cheap excuses to do what I want to you. You are my slave now."

"Yes Mao-sama…"

"Well don't just sit there all night! We have things to do tomorrow and I won't have you screwing up because you're tired."

"O-of course Mao-sama…" Almaz fled to his room, unwilling to stay in the same room as Mao any longer.

Only once his door was bolted shut and he was hidden under the covers did Almaz let himself breakdown. 'At this rate I really will become a demon, Mao hasn't changed a bit and I'm running out of time…' Almaz pressed his face against his pillow fighting tears.


	4. Master

Master

Master

Mao glared holes into the back of Almaz's head as the blue-haired demon-in-training chatted to the home economics teacher.

"Why are you helping us master? Don't you have a class or-?"

"Almaz don't worry! Although to leave my duties would leave a bad taste in my mouth, it is nothing in comparison to the horrid taste I would get if I left you young sprouts alone in such a time. The best results of this dish will only come if you are able to see things with a clear mind and heart. Besides, I don't have any classes today."

"I guess it's our good luck that your free today master." Mao felt a vein threatening to pop.

"Will you shut up fake-hero? It doesn't matter if he's here or not! I was perfectly capable of dealing with everything that got in my way today!" Almaz shrunk back from Mao to hide behind Champloo.

"I-I didn't mean it that way Mao… I was just saying that it's alright that we have a bit more help…" Mao huffed in annoyance.

"Mao, you should not be so hostile. Accepting another's help is not a sign of weakness. In fact, a meal is best when it has a good side dish to help accentuate the meals qualities to ensure a delicious and enjoyable banquette for all."

"Damn it… Can't you speak normally for once?" Mao grabbed Almaz by the scarf. "I can't stand you any longer! Come on fake-hero!" Mao dragged Almaz behind him.

Mao fumed as he dragged Almaz behind him; he threw his door open and the hinges bent out of shape.

"Geoffrey, fix it!" The elderly butler appeared in a burst of light.

"As you wish young master."

Mao opened Almaz's room with the same malice that caused the other to break. He quickly tossed Almaz onto his bed and slammed the door shut.

"You can come out when you remember who your real master is!" Grabbing a nail gun from his desk he nailed the door shut before Almaz was able to get back to the door.

Almaz banged on the door as hard as he could.

"Mao! Let me out!" A loud bang caused him to jump back; Mao had thrown something at the door. "Mao I didn't mean like I was serving him! I know I have to serve you!"  
"Oh! Now you HAVE to serve me?! What happened to 'I'll be your servant forever so long as you don't tell the princess who I am?' You seem to have forgotten!" Almaz glared at the door keeping him imprisoned. 'He's being so… impossible!'

"Ack! You're misunderstanding this! Can you just calm down and we can talk about this!"

"Shut up Almaz! Your REAL master has given you an order or would you prefer I come in there and 'sexually harass' you again?" Almaz's only response was a small squeak. "GOOD! Now stay in there and think about what you've done!"

Almaz paced back and forth in his bare room extremely bored. He'd been stuck in his room for five hours now and he was hungry. 'I could ask Mao if I could have something but that might get him riled up again… Geoffrey might take pity on me and bring something in; he can pop up anywhere he wants but knowing him he won't do that for days, if ever… Mao won't let anyone in his room and my rooms just a part of his room so Miss Beryl and her friends won't be any help if Mao decides to keep me in here forever… ACK!' Almaz bit his lip and pulled at his hair in frustration. 'Knowing how Mao can get I could be in here for weeks!'

Almaz flopped down onto his bed and stared at the small window that let him see a small amount of the campus. It was tempting to just go out the window but he fought that urge. Mao would do worse to him if he found out he escaped, Almaz wasn't willing to tempt Mao's self-restraint when he was already angry enough to lock him away and he was really high up. This room was on the 29th floor of the school and since demons could be taller than any human the ceilings were a lot higher than even the castle's on Earth. He wasn't willing to see how well he could fly without any wings if he slipped. 'I don't even know what I did this time; I was just talking to Master Champloo. Mao might not have any idea what he's saying but it's nice that there's actually a demon who understands what it's like to feel… Even if he does use confusing cooking metaphors… Even Miss Beryl who's a delinquent isn't able to understand a person's heart.'

Mao threw the sword with extreme accuracy and it came into contact with the portrait of his fathers shadowing figure with a satisfying thunk.

"Damn him!" Geoffrey stood behind Mao patiently hold an array of weapons.

"You should not trouble yourself with the matters of the fake-hero so much young master. A true demon does not need others and should surely not be bothered by their imperfections as you allow yourself to be."

"Geoffrey, I know that so be silent!" Mao grabbed another sword; instead of the portrait he threw the sword at the offending fake-hero's door. Almaz let out what sounded distinctly like a squeal of terror from the other side of the door as the sword became embedded in the door at its hilt.

"Hmm… Seems like he was standing right near the door… Good…" Forgetting about the mauled portrait Mao threw another sword at Almaz's door. "Have you thought about what you did yet Almaz?! You must be getting hungry by now!"

"Maybe…" Almaz whispered through the door.

Almaz kept himself away from the wooden door; sure enough another sword embedded itself in the door.

"It's too bad that home economics' teacher isn't here! I'm sure he'd whip something up for you!" Another sword embedded itself into his door.

"Mao-sama… E-exactly how many of those swords do you have?" Mao cackled at the sound of Almaz's fear.

"Enough of them to make you and your door into nothing but little pieces! What's the matter Almaz? You sound scared!"

"M-Mao-sama! I-I'm sorry I offended you!"

"Don't make me laugh! I don't care what you do!"

"But then why are you mad at me?!" Another sword became embedded in the door.

"You disrespectful slave! You are my servant and your behavior reflects upon me! You act like a delinquent! Thanking people for their help, being respectful to your elders, it's disgusting! A demon takes they do not receive anything!" Another sword got to meet the door and Almaz flinched. "The only one a demon respects is their superior anyone who is lower than your superior is trash to you! Do you understand?!"

"Ye-yes…"

"I can't hear you fake hero! Do you understand me?!"

"Yes Mao-sama!"

"Who do you respect?!"

"M-Mao-sama!"

"Who do you thank?!"

"N-no-one!"

"Who is your only master?!"

"Y-you are!" Almaz hugged himself tightly. Mao was out of control and the only thing keeping him out was a barricade that kept him inside. Tears began to fall to the floor and his sight became blurred with the tears.

"Who is your higher priority Almaz? You're human princess or me?!" Almaz let out a weak sob.

"You are Mao-sama…"

"Good… You can come out in the morning; it seems you've learnt your lesson…"

One by one the swords where pulled out of his door. Geoffrey dutifully removed them as Mao retreated into the sanctuary of his bedroom. When Mao was gone Geoffrey leaned towards the mauled door.

"A word of advice fake-hero. If you wish to live through this give up on making the young master open his heart, it will only lead to your death ultimately." Almaz's attempted to wipe away his tears in vain.

"I-I can't do that Geoffrey… If I ever want to go home I-I have to be human, if my family saw me like this..."

"Don't be so stubborn. You are better off as a demon, following the path you are now will lead you to nothing!" Mismatched eyes looked through the holes in the door.

"If I do become a demon will I become just like the rest of them? Cold and heartless? Demons seem to think it's so hard to open their hearts to others and I don't want to lose what I am now…" Almaz pressed his face against the door and sighed. "I want to be able to remember what it's like to feel… I-I'm afraid if I don't do something I'll end up hurting people I care about, that everything I've done in my life will become meaningless…"


	5. Excursion

Excursion

Excursion

Mao caressed the needles sharp point as he stared at the ceiling.

"Fake-hero…" There was no response. "FAKE-HERO!" Without the normal sounds of fear from Almaz Mao frowned. Normally the fake hero would be right there the moment he so much as raised his voice. Mao looked into Almaz's room, it was empty. 'Where the hell did he go?!'

The sound of laughter filled the hallways. Almaz laughed until he thought his sides would burst.

"Miss Beryl! S-stop, I think I'm going to die!"

"Hahaha! No-one can stand my amazing tickle attack! Not even the fake-hero!" Almaz rolled on the floor trying to get away from Beryl. "Kyoko, Asuka! Give me a hand here! He's going to get away!" The two taller girls obediently joined in.

Mao stormed through the hallways looking for Almaz. Students ran to get out of his way.

"FAKE-HERO! Get your cowardly ass here right now!" Once again he got no response. Growling, Mao grabbed the nearest demon. "You! Where the hell is Almaz?"

"I-I think I saw him with Rasberyl and her delinquent friends at the cafeteria!"

"With Beryl?! What the hell is he doing with her?"

"I think they were eating lunch…" Mao dropped the demon.

"Grr… When I get my hands on him…" Mao ran off towards the cafeteria.

"Take it like a man fake-hero! This is what you get for refusing to eat your carrots! They're good for your eyes!"

"Alright! I'll eat them, I swear just stop!" Beryl released Almaz and let him get up. Asuka brought out a tray.

"Here's your food fake-hero."

"Yes well about that…" Almaz felt his stomach revolted at the sight of the rotting carrots and he dashed to the door. "I'm so sorry! I lied!" Beryl sighed.

"He almost sounded like an honor student then…"

"At least he said sorry my lady; Mao hasn't gotten to him yet."

"True enough, now let's go get him! He's running in the halls!" The three girls went after Almaz.

Almaz dodged passing students, ignoring the snippets of conversation that reached his ears. His mind was focused only on getting away from those rotting vegetables. As he rounded the corner to the ice area Almaz felt his feet get caught. 'Oh dear this is going to hurt…' Almaz fell face first onto the hard concrete surface of the floor.

"Owie…" Almaz looked at what he tripped over, it was steel wire nailed into the walls. 'Who would put something like that there?' To answer his question, Beryl and her friends walked up to him.

"Looks like you did get caught in our anti-hall running trap after all. You missed all the other ones so we thought you'd escaped."

"I hope you weren't hurt fake-hero, it was only our intent to discourage running in the hall." Asuka examined him for obvious wounds.

"But to think that one worked, you missed the arrow trap, the boulder and even the flamethrower-"Kyoko explained.

"F-flamethrower?! Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"Do you think so? There are so many traps like that all around the school, haven't you seen them?"

"No! I think I would have noticed something like that!"

"Mao probably takes you down the clear paths then, we'll have to show you what to look for if you ever want to get around here without Mao."

"Thank you Miss Beryl…"

"FAKE-HERO! Where the fuck are you?" Almaz flinched. 'It sounds like he's been looking for me for a while…' Almaz scrambled to his feet. He ran towards Mao's voice.

"Y-you called Mao-sama?" Mao glared at him.

"Who told you that you could leave?!" Almaz looked at the ground.

"Y-you did Mao-sama…"

"Liar! I remember no such thing!"

"B-but I asked if I could go get something to eat and you just grunted and ignored me!" Mao ignored him and dragged him down the corridors.

"Enough of your excuses! It's time I checked to see if your body has changed since I last examined you." Almaz squeaked. "It seems like things are far enough along that it would be beneficial for me to take a few samples, I got everything set up and your little excursion has put me behind schedule!"

"W-what kind of samples?!"

"Blood, organ scrapings, the usual…"

"Ack! Can't we just not do that and say we did?"

"No! This will give me valuable research material!"

Beryl sighed, Almaz being dragged around as Mao's dog was not a pretty sight. Seeing their lady's distress her two friends attempted to calm her.

"Please don't be worried my lady. Mao would not seriously hurt the fake-hero; he cares for him in his own way."

"As his long-time rival you understand Mao better than anyone!"

"You're right girls…"


	6. Single

Single

Single

"Fake-hero… Duck…" Almaz scrabbled through the door out into the hallway as the needles bounced off the wall.

"Mao-sama maybe we should play a different game!"

"Don't be ridiculous! I love this game! I'd run for it if I were you…" Almaz didn't need to be told twice he ran for it.

Almaz pelted down the hallway, his legs aching from the last two hours of running. 'I think I lost him this time. How in the world can Mao have so much energy?' Seeing a class room, Almaz ducked into the room and crawled under the teacher's desk. At least since the school had such horrible attendance rates the chances of anyone coming into the room was very small and Mao wouldn't want to ruin his honor student reputation by going into any classroom. For the first time since Mao's game of 'Needle Almaz' had began he could rest. Almaz rested his head against the desk, his breath was ragged and his heart was racing.

Mao quietly snuck after Almaz and slipped through the door without the fake-hero noticing. He sniggered to himself as he climbed on top of the desk Almaz was hiding under. 'I really love this game! Look out Almazie I'm going to get you!' He leaned over the desk and grinned at him.

"Fake-hero…" Almaz flinched, looking up he saw Mao's fogged glasses and devious look on his face. 'Oh dear…' In an instant he was running towards the door, Mao threw the needles with extreme precision. Before Almaz could dodge, the needles hit there marks getting him in the back of his arm and shoulder.

Almaz whimpered and attempted to pull them out, Mao laughed.

"Looks like I won this round fake-hero! You should know better than to let your guard down like that!" Almaz gripped the plastic tube of the needle tightly, they were slowly draining blood from him and it hurt unbelievably. Someone pulled another needle out.

"Ack!"

"Sorry, are you alright Arnold?" Almaz snapped his head around to see princess Sapphire holding the needle in her hand.

"Y-yes and… I-its Almaz princess…"

"It seems Mao is very energetic," She sighed happily. "He's like a child at Christmas, he's so cute!" Almaz felt his heart sink. 'Princess…'

"Mao-sama is definitely very… enthusiastic Princess."

"I wish you wouldn't call me that… Miss Beryl is very lucky to have Mao." Almaz gagged at the thought.

"Mao and Miss Beryl?! Princess, that's probably never going to happen, their complete opposites!"

"Sooo… Mao's single then…?" Almaz had a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Sapphire grabbed him in a tight hug. "Thank you Arnold! This is wonderful news!"

Mao ended his rant to see the Princess wrap her arms around Almaz. His good mood disappeared in an instant.

"Hey fake-hero! Stop that gross display and hurry up! It's time to go!" Almaz pried himself from the princesses grasp.

"Gomen Mao-sama…" Mao huffed.

"Let's just head back!"

"Yes Mao-sama…"

Almaz kept his head down and stared at the ground. 'The princess likes Mao…' He fought the urge to cry. 'What am I thinking…? I never had a chance with the princess anyway; she can't even remember my name… B-but why Mao of all people?' Almaz looked at Mao. 'He's rude, loud, and mean and never thinks of others…' Almaz bit his lip. 'W-what am I thinking?! I'm trying to open Mao's heart and all I can think about is the bad things about him… I hope this is just a side effect of becoming a demon… Is this what I'm really like?! Nothing but a self-serving and shallow excuse for a human being?! If I want to be able to succeed I need to be able to see Mao as the good person he has inside… His true heart seemed really nice. That Mao was kind, he didn't even raise his voice, he sounded like he really wanted to let people in… If I just think about that Mao instead of what he is at the moment I can make it through this! I just need to bring out the good Mao inside him!'


	7. Sacrifice

Sacrifice

Sacrifice

Almaz ignored the throbbing pain in his arm as he followed the others. 'I can't let Mao do this… No-one back on Earth did anything to deserve this. With this curse I-I won't live much longer; at least I can help save everyone on Earth.'

"There he is!" Almaz looked where Beryl pointed to see Mao standing at the dimensional gate to the human world.

"Why the hell does this place have to be so far away?!"

Almaz's vision swirled and the sounds of the others faded away, he stomped down the urge to go to pass out. 'This is for Mao… I can't give up when I'm so close!' Shaking his head clear Almaz shuffled over to where Mao was standing, he outstretched his hand.

"Mao-sama you're just running away…"

"Almaz?! You think your some kind of wise guy? Since when did my fake hero grow such a big mouth?!"

"Mao look carefully at your own heart, is anger and hatred all you see?"

"You mean that feeling that's swirling inside my stomach? Why it's made up entirely of pure anger and hatred!"

"So you never did realize?" Almaz let the tears well up in his eyes. 'Mao…'

"Why are you crying?!"

"Because I'm sad." Mao took a step back.

"Sad?" Almaz stumbled closer.

"That's right, aren't you sad too?" Mao frowned. "When a family member dies, you're sad. When people betray you're sad. When you can't trust your friends… You're so sad and in so much pain but you just don't know what to do with those emotions, am I right?"

"Don't be stupid! I don't feel that! That emotion doesn't exist in my heart!" Almaz ignored him. 'Liar.'

"It's easy to fool yourself. Looking away from something we don't want to see is a bad habit we all have. But you aren't alone now, you have friends. If it hurts, you can be honest and tell us that it hurts. If you're suffering you're allowed to complain about. No-one will make fun of you." Almaz felt the light-headedness returning. 'I want you to tell me Mao…'

Almaz bit his lip, the pain helped him focus. Mao looked enraged. 'What did the others say…?'

"Hey Mao, did you know I used to look down on demons? When you turned me into one I hated it so much. I thought demons were incomprehensible and untrustworthy. But that was wrong of me. By denying inexplicable urges. I tried to escape to an easier path..." 'But you didn't let me Mao…'

"Is that so? Do you still hate demons?" Beryl's voice was accusing and she glared at him. "No, I've gotten to know who they are and I've come to rather like them. If I can stay with you guys. I don't mind never being a human again. Or so I assume…"

"Humph…" Mao sounded rather unconvinced. 'Mao, how can I say it so you'll understand? I-I don't want to leave you but…' Princess Sapphire sighed.

"Yes! The moment I saw Lady Beryl my heart squealed immediately!" She latched onto Beryl, much to Beryl's discomfort.

Almaz giggled at the sight of Beryl struggling against the Princess' hug.

"You see? Demons, humans… It doesn't matter! That's what I finally understand after being with you all." 'Especially you Mao…' "There's no doubt about it. We're all friends. And the one who taught me that… was you Mao. I believe in you. Do you believe in me?" Almaz smiled slightly but Mao took another step back.

"You, a human, say that a demon is your friend? You say that you believe in me?!" Mao glared at him. "Do you think I'll fall for th-?" Almaz groaned. The searing pain in his arm increased, becoming unbearable. 'N-no… Not yet! I-I still have to…'

"Too late! It's begun!" Champloo looked at Almaz sadly. Beryl and Sapphire rushed to help him.

"Almaz? What's wrong?"

"Sorry… I was no good after all. I couldn't become a hero…"

"Why are you talking like that? Why in past tense?"

"I'm sorry princess… For not being able to keep my promise…" He swayed, barely able to keep himself standing. 'And I'm so sorry Mao; I really wanted to keep my vow to you as well… Please don't blame the others for this…'

"What's going on with you? I don't want you talking like that!"

"I'm sorry… It seems that I can no longer… Protect you princess…" Guilt weighed him down. 'I'm so pathetic… I can't even tell Mao that I'm sorry I can't help heal his heart anymore…'

"I don't get it! I don't understand what you're talking about!" Almaz searched Mao's. 'He looks so confused but… he knows about the curse… He didn't care then or w-was that a lie Mao?' Champloo cut her off.

"As I said, it's an incurable curse. He knew but continued to endure it alone. For friendship and for love."

"Almaz, you…? Why? Why did you lie?" 'You would have made me stay behind…'

"I-I'm sorry… I didn't want to worry you…"

"Fool! You're making me worry a lot right now!" Almaz let out a harsh laugh. 'But I prefer it this way… I can't let Mao be alone…'

"Your right… Princess please listen… To me, you're-"

"I know so don't-"

"But… I couldn't leave Mao alone either. I wanted to stop him no matter what it took…"

Almaz struggled to get to Mao, his hand shook with the effort it took to keep it held out.

"Heroes must… offer a helping… hand to anyone… in need! I wanted… to become… a hero… But even more so, Mao… To be… you're… err-" The world began to fade and the last thing Almaz felt was his body falling to the ground. 'I-I'm sorry…'

Almaz opened his eyes, everywhere he looked was grey.

"W-where am I…? Am I dead…?"

"Not quiet…" Almaz spun around to see Mao's inner heart guardian, Mao's green twin looked at him sadly.

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"I'm always here Almaz; you're the one that came to me… I wanted to… give this back. For all that you've done for me… I know I never deserved any of it…"

"I-I never did anything…" Mao's heart sighed.

"You did Almaz… More than you'll ever know…" Suddenly Mao's heart cried out in pain.

"Mao!" Almaz wrapped his arms around him to keep him from falling to the ground. Flashes of images swamped him when he touched Mao's heart but he ignored it. "What's wrong?!"

"It's nothing; there was just a shift of power when our evil that was hiding in the depths of this world revealed itself to Mao…"

"You're evil…?" Mao sighed.

"Yes… The superhero wanted to ensure we would be swept into evil so he helped it grow… Do not worry, this is only momentary. It will be forced to return soon…"

"No!" Mao's heart blinked.

"What the hell do you mean?!" Almaz put him down on the ground.

"I won't let it come back!" Mao's usually calm heart growled at him.

"You idiot! That isn't your problem! I can suppress it!" Almaz frowned.

"I haven't done anything to help! I won't let you be swept away by your evil! I may not know what's going on but I won't let super hero Aurum win! And I won't let him hurt you! I promised myself that I'd help heal your heart's wounds Mao!" Almaz disappeared in a flash of green light.

"Almaz! Get beck here!" Mao's heart sighed.

"Why didn't I see this coming…?" He looked at the hero's title in his hands. "Without this… Almaz will die…"

A purple clone of Mao glared at his real self as he stooped over Almaz.

"Ah-aww… Too bad Almazie. And I was so close too." Everyone turned to him in surprise.

"What there's to Mao's?!" Beryl exclaimed, and he ignored her.

"Almazie, your last words were echoing through my heart man. But you know when your dead it's all over. Just leave the rest to me alright?" The real Mao reeled in confusion.

"Who the hell-?"

"Who me? I'm Mao man."

"What?!" Beryl stepped forward.

"No that's a lie! You're an imposter!" He snorted.

"Oh? What makes you so sure?" She shrugged.

"It's just a feeling." He laughed.

"A gut feeling huh? I guess you are my rival after all. But don't get me wrong I'm sure I'm also a real Mao too."

"What does that mean?" He inwardly scoffed at his other self's naivety.

"You don't get it? I'm the pure evil that's inside your heart. I came out because you wished me to do so, man."

"I don't know you! And I don't need you!"

"Hmm? That's strange. You wanted power right? That's why I came out. Like I said. I'm pure evil, for a demon like you I'm your source of energy. Thanks to your rush of regret and hatred, you used your potential powers and so here I am. So come on! Switch with me already! I'm tired of sitting there inside the corner of your heart!" He reached for his other self. 'I can't wait to get rid of all these interferences! At least without Almazie here I can safely take over now!'

"W-what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Mao stepped back from his dark self. "I won't give up my body so easily!"

"Hehe… Don't worry this won't hurt man!"

Next time: A new hero is born!


	8. A new Hero is born!

A new hero is born

A new hero is born!

Dark Mao reached for his other self; something grabbed his wrist and refused to let go. He snarled. 'So close! Who dares-' He spun around to face someone he thought he wouldn't have to deal with anymore.

"Almazie?!" It certainly looked like Almaz, except he wasn't solid, like Dark Mao he had the tinted colouring that was the only thing that made himself distinguishable from his physical self, this Almaz was a pale blue. Mao attempted to shake Almaz off him. "You just don't know when to give up do you man?" Almaz laughed.

"Not really. I promised that I'd help Mao heal his heart and I'm not going to let a little thing like my immanent death stop me!" Dark Mao chuckled.

"Really? What do you call yourself? Brave Almaz? I never knew you had such mouth on you!" Dark Mao's laughter stopped. "But heal our heart? You must have hit your head as a baby man! You can't do anything to stop me!"

"I can to! You aren't even really Mao! You're just something super hero Aurum created to fulfil his plans!"

"Don't be an idiot Almazie; he only helped me grow strong! With all the hate in our heart I was already growing so quickly. If you intend to interfere again Almazie I'll make sure there isn't enough left of you to even be reincarnated! You've already stopped me from taking over once I won't forgive you a second time man!"

"A-Almaz?!" Almaz and Dark Mao spun around to face the others. Dark Mao scoffed at them.

"Can't you see we're in the middle of something man?!" Almaz smiled at them.

"Good-bye everyone…" As Dark Mao attempted to escape the grasp Almaz had on his arm, Almaz pulled him into a tight hug. "If I'm going to die I'm going to make sure you don't bother Mao anymore!" Dark Mao caught on and began to panic.

"H-hey man! Let go of me!" Almaz closed his eyes. Both disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Mao looked at where Almaz had just been in disbelief.

"Why would he do that…? He had no reason too…" Mao clutched his shirt tightly. Champloo put his hand on the younger demons shoulder.

"Search your heart Mao, you know the reason." Mao paused.

"Friend…" The chief grinned.

"Corrrrrect!" Mao frowned.

"That idiot! How could he be so stupid? How can he speak about of friends and promises and trust when he died and broke his promises!" Beryl growled at him.

"Mao, you shouldn't say something like that about the dead!"

"She's right! You shouldn't say such things about the person who risked his life for you!" Beryl cut her off.

"Maybe your right Mao, he was a big dumbass but he did it for you!" Mao glared at Almaz's motionless body. 'Damn it Almaz.'

"You're my servant Almaz, I never ordered you to do this! I order you to come back to life immediately!"

Almaz's body was filled with pain as Mao's evil fought his grip on him; the power radiating from Dark Mao was overwhelming his own. 'J-just a little bit longer, if I can hold on there will be no way for him to escape!'

"Almaz, don't do this to yourself…" Almaz felt a warm hand place itself on his shoulder.

"Mao… I'm going to die anyway right?" Mao's heart tightened his grip on Almaz's shoulder.

"No, I'm not going to let you die." Mao's heart released his shoulder and slid something into Almaz's hand. "You've done so much for me; because of you Almaz I got the courage to get to know people and to open my heart to them. It's time I gave you something back." Almaz looked at him in disbelief.

"T-this is my title!" Mao's heart smiled at him and Almaz's senses began to fade away. "Mao…" The grey scenery disappeared and was replaced by bright light.

Mao's hands shook. 'Almaz, you can't be dead… You promised you'd stay…' Beryl walked up to him.

"Mao, we can't stay here forever." Mao snarled at her and turned around to glare at everyone.

"I know that! Beryl you are-" Mao froze.

"M-Mao, what is it?" Beryl turned to see what Mao was gaping at. A familiar bright blue light appeared. "T-that's…" The light broke apart.

Almaz opened his eyes, slowly everything came into focus. 'I really am alive!'

"Almaz, is that you? Are you really Almaz?" Almaz looked at Sapphire sceptically.

"Of course it's me, who else would I be? I could check the name on my underwear to be sure if you like." He looked to the others; they were all staring at him. "What's the matter everyone? You're creeping me out!" Beryl pulled out a small mirror.

"Maybe you should have a look at your self…" Confused Almaz looked into the mirror.

"Ahh! What the hell is going on?!" Red eyes stared back at him in the mirror. "This isn't fair! I finally get my title back and I end up as a demon anyway!" Sapphire smiled.

"Congratulations hero Almaz!"

"Wait… Does that mean 'it' happened?" Almaz smiled revealing his new fangs.

"Yup!" All eyes turned to Mao, said demon began sweating.

"What are you guys looking at?!" Beryl sighed.

"Guess you beat me Mao, I never thought I'd let an honour student open their heart before me."

"I did not open my heart!" They ignored him.

"If Sir Mao opened his heart in time, why is Almaz a demon?" Champloo grinned.

"I'm glad you asked! It seems that when Almaz tried to drag Mao's evil to death with him, when he was revived their powers combined to create an entirely new flavour! If you look at Almaz's title, it is now 'Fallen Hero'." Mao growled.

"Don't be ridiculous! I've read fan fiction that makes more sense than that! I am an honour student; there is no way a delinquent like Almaz took all of my evil!"

"Relax; all that Almaz took was the pure evil that Aurum was growing for his own despicable banquet. You are still capable of following your usual honour student ways and the good in Almaz's hero title protects him from being over-whelmed by your evil. It's a truly remarkable combination of flavours, BAM!" Mao frowned.

"Who cares? All that matters is that it's time to go kill the super hero! Let's go!" Almaz laughed and Mao sweat dropped. "What the hell is so funny?!" Almaz smiled at him.

"I have a tail!" He tweaked said new appendage.

"I noticed that, and you have wings too! Let's get going already!" Mao grumbled. 'Losing all the oxygen to his brain for so long must have really messed him up…'

"Mao-sama!" Almaz pouted. "You're making fun of me!" Mao flustered.

"I didn't say anything!"

"You were thinking it!" Mao twitched. 'The hell? Is he reading my mind?' Almaz grinned.

"Don't be silly, of course I'm not!" Almaz ran up ahead. "Hurry up or I'll leave you all behind!" Mao sweat dropped.

"W-what the hell happened to him…?"


	9. Prepare for the final battle!

Prepare for the final battle

Prepare for the final battle!

Almaz walked behind Mao, humming.  
"Mao-sama, we're going to stock up before we head out right?" Mao groaned.

"Of course we are! No-one would head into the final battle without doing so!" Almaz ignored the criticism in Mao's voice.

"So does that mean I can get something to change into while we're here?"

"We don't have time for that! There's nothing wrong with what you have!"

"That's not fair! My clothes are all ripped up and I've been wearing them since I came here! How come, whenever someone else transforms they get something new to wear and I don't?!" Mao shoved his fingers into his ears to drown out the sound of Almaz's whining. 'He's doing this on purpose to annoy me damn it and it's fucking working!'

"Will it shut you up if you get some new clothes?!" Almaz grinned.

"Yup!" Mao grumbled.

"If you aren't done by the time we're ready to leave then will go without you!" Almaz ran off, waving to Mao as he disappeared in the crowd.

"It won't take a second Mao-sama!" Mao turned around to see Beryl look at him knowingly.

"What now?!" Beryl smiled at him.

"It seems you have changed Mao, before you wouldn't let Almaz out of your sight. Aren't you afraid some demons going to take advantage of our shy little hero when he's getting changed? The majority of them left him alone before since he was human but now he's fair game."

"Shut up Beryl!" Mao stormed off and Sapphire sighed.

"It's so nice that Sir Mao is looking out for Almaz like that, you'd think they'd been friends forever… His brotherly affection is so CUTE!" Beryl sighed.

"That's not quite what I meant princess…"

Almaz strolled through the store, looking at everything that caught his eye. He ignored the other students who stared at him as he walked by. The two female shop clerks whispered to each other keeping a close eye on Almaz.

"Hey… Isn't that Mao's vassal? He looks a bit different today…" The pink haired demon sighed happily.

"Really, you think so? What clued you in? Was it the wings or the fucking tail genius?!" The other demon snapped at her, pushing her long blond hair out of her eyes angrily.

"He looks so cute this way! Maybe Mao finished that experiment to turn him into a demon?"

"You idiot! Do you realise what will happen to you if the prince found out you were looking at his boy toy?"

"I'm just looking… There's nothing wrong with a little appreciation! Isn't it strange how his tail and wings are blue not red like a normal demon?"

Almaz walked up to the counter with a bundle of clothes in his arms.

"Excuse me…?" The two jumped away from each other as if they'd been burned. "I'd like to buy these, if that's okay…" The pink haired girl gave him an award winning smile.

"Of course, I could never turn down a cutie like you!" The blond next to her snorted angrily. 'Talk about having a death wish…' The pink haired girl wasn't done yet. "If you like, you can go get changed in the staff room in the back! No-ones there so you'll have some privacy. We wouldn't want someone to walk in on you now would we?" Almaz smiled at her as he handed over the coins.

"That's alright; I don't want to be a bother. I'll be fine in the changing room like anyone else!"

"No really-!" Almaz ran into said changing rooms before she could reply. Her companion eyed her with disgust.

"Perv, the staff rooms have security recording everything…" The pink haired girl sniffled.

"It's not fair… That should have worked, I wanted to see…"

Almaz buttoned up his new jacket. 'I can't believe they had such a great selection!' His jacket was white like his old one, but it was tight and buttoned up to his neck and down to his waist, there was a small cut in the sleaves that revealed his shirt underneath it from his wait down to his knees it was lose. His new shirt was a pale grey and the bottom of it went to his thighs and was cut into four triangles, two at the front and two at the back, leaving his new tail space to move. Both shirt and jacket had a hole at the back for his wings, which he was grateful for. His pants were basically the same and he kept his beloved gloves and boots. However his scarf… Almaz felt a pang of sadness. He loved his scarf but every time he moved it rubbed up against his wings, agitating the new limbs. 'I'll figure something out later… I shouldn't make everyone wait for me.'

As Almaz left the store he caught sight of Beryl and her friends. He ran over towards them waving.

"Miss Beryl!" Beryl turned around and smiled at him.

"Done already? Not a bad choice considering you're a guy." Almaz blushed.

"You think so?" He sighed. "I looked at myself and saw my dad; it was kind of scary… I just wish I could wear my scarf, it's so uncomfortable now…" Beryl scoffed.

"Men… Honestly, leave this to an expert!" Grabbing the scarf Beryl surveyed him critically. "Now what to do with you…" Almaz shrunk away from her.

"Miss Beryl… Please be gentle…"

"Don't be a baby! Beauty is painful!" Beryl wrapped the scarf around the fallen hero's waist and pulled.

Mao stormed through the crowd. 'I'm going to be stuck here forever waiting for Almaz; the superhero will be planning all his moves while I'm stuck waiting for that child-' Mao's thoughts stalled.

Almaz turned around to see Mao and smiled.

"Mao-sama, you're finally here!" Almaz pouted, completely oblivious to Mao's strange silence. "You were so cranky about me wasting time but you took longer than me! What about the superhero?" Almaz blinked in confusion at Mao's reaction (or lack there of), the prince's silence was unusual. "Mao-sama are you alright?" Mao snapped back into reality.

"Of course I'm alright! But honestly, couldn't you have picked clothes that were less ridiculous!" Almaz sniffed. Mao felt guilt creeping into the pit of his stomach.

"H-hey cut that out right now!"

"Asshole!" Almaz kicked Mao in the shin, causing the white haired demon to hop on one leg.

"W-what the hell was that for?! That hurt!" Almaz ran off, leaving Mao and the others without looking back. Beryl sighed.

"Your people skills have struck once again Mao. Just because he looks nice is no reason for you to act so jealous! Don't take out your anger on Almaz, save it for someone who deserves it for once." When Mao refused to answer she decided to try a new tactic. "You had better go apologise before he decides to take a page out of your book and oh… take out his anger out on you laboratory or something…" Mao began to sweat.

"That goodie-goodie wouldn't dare… All my research is in there!"

"But you would do it and who's currently containing your evil self…?" Mao swore and ran after Almaz. "Mao's so predictable now that Almaz is here, it's almost sad how easy it was to get him to go but he needs to learn how to deal with people if he hopes to keep Almaz here for long." Champloo looked down at her.

"You seem very determined to keep this dish delicious. Such caring really shows how dedicated you are to your delinquent flavour." She shrugged.

"If I didn't keep Mao in line that would? Besides pushing each other to better themselves is what rivals do, but Mao had better realise that he owes me for this…"

Next time: Comfort!


	10. Comfort

Chapter 9: Comfort

Almaz pressed his face against his knees; he felt tears soaking his new clothes. 'What does it matter…? Mao hates me…' The cold of the ice area made him shiver uncontrollably.

'_What's the matter Almazie? Are you really that weak?'_ Almaz bit his lip.

'Dark Mao…'

'_Don't sound so shocked, did you really think I was dead? I'm stuck inside you now.'_ Dark Mao groaned. _'Do you have to be so goodie-goodie? All your positive crap is making me sick. You need to hate! To despise! Even if it's me!'_

'I won't… I-I can't hate you…'

'_Even when I degrade you? Hurt you? Snuff out all that makes you happy?! Don't be stupid Almazie… Let me deal with Mao, Aurum and the entire school and you'll be free!'_ Almaz covered his ears.

'Liar!'

'_Your no angel yourself man. I can see all your darkest secrets! Just let me in…'_

Mao paced through the hall, Almaz hadn't run off to destroy his lab as Beryl threatened but he had no idea where the he'd go. 'Almaz… where did you go?' Running his hands through his hair Mao sighed. 'This shouldn't be so hard he doesn't know the school very well. He'll have to be somewhere he's already been and I can rule out the abandoned part of the school, he's to chicken to go there by himself…'

'_Almazie…You'll kill us both if you stay out here in the cold man! Get your ass up!'_ Almaz hugged himself tightly.

'Go away, I don't care anymore…' Dark Mao hissed.

'_Are you just going to die? Or do you think Mao will come to find you?'_ Almaz cringed. Knowing he'd hit a nerve with the fallen hero dark Mao giggled in excitement. _'I know he's not coming after all were the same. Mao is an evil, heartless and cruel demon. The very fact you actually thought he'd care for you is so sad it's funny!'_

"S-stop it!"

"Are you alright?" Almaz flinched and looked up at a senior delinquent. 'Oh god…' The senior grinned. "What do we have here? A little freshman?" Almaz jumped up and ran. "Where do you think you're going?!" He grabbed Almaz by the shoulder and threw him to the ground. 'I-I'm going to die! I never should have run off!'

'_Don't worry Almazie I promise I won't let you die…'_ Almaz slipped into the darkness and everything faded away.

Mao threw the table across the cafeteria.

"Damn it Almaz! Where the hell are you?" Dark energy flared causing Mao pause. 'How is my energy coming from somewhere else? Unless… Almaz!' Mao tore through the hallway towards the source of energy. Mao struggled to ignore the tight pain in his chest. 'Don't you dare die on me now Almaz!'

Dark Mao kicked the senior in the stomach causing him to land on his ass.

"What the hell?!" Pulling out Almaz's sword Dark Mao grinned.

"I do believe your going to die man…" Letting his aura radiate the senior backed away.

"T-this is impossible! A person's aura can't just change like this!" Dark Mao swung the sword at him wildly. The senior dodged by a hair and Dark Mao continued to attack leaving no room for a counter-attack.

"Hurry up and die!"

Mao slid around the corner to the source of the dark energy, completely unaware of what he was about to see.

"Almaz I-!" Mao stopped, Almaz stood over the dying body of the senior. He grinned at Mao.

"Looks like you found me man… Hopefully you'll be more entertaining than this one." He gestured to the senior. "I didn't even get five minutes from him…" Almaz rested the flat side of his blade against Mao's cheek. "I have to thank you, because if you hadn't been such a stubborn idiot I never have gotten Almazie. I must say it was quite a surprise for me when I found out he had so much power hidden away." Mao glared at him, looking at the glazed look in his eyes he could tell Almaz wasn't himself.

"Release him!" Almaz laughed.

"Do you seriously think I'd listen to you? Almazie is mine and it's all thanks to you!"

"S-shut up! It is not!"

"Tch! But you're the one who he sacrificed his humanity for, you're the one who gave me life and you're the one who hurt his feelings so badly he was overcome by sadness and let me take over man…" Almaz pulled his sword back. "Come to think of it, I'm surprised it took so long. Now that I can read his mind I know you've broken poor Almazie into so many little pieces on such a regular basis he doesn't even know how to put himself back together." Almaz grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and raised it above his head. Sickly purple energy began to swirl around him and his grin widened making him look crazy. "Now, DIE!"

Champloo's fist rammed into Almaz's gut, the dark aura began to dissipate.

"N-not again… I was so close…" Almaz passed out and fell to the ground.

"That was to close for comfort! Looks like Almaz can't handle his new power yet but that is to be expected. Anything that tastes good takes time BAM!" Mao growled.

"What the hell did you do to him?!"

"Relax, this worked on you the first time your dark half emerged and your fine aren't you? He should wake up in a minute. That gives you the perfect opportunity to plan how your going to apologise."

"I-I wasn't going to apologise!" Champloo ignored him.

"Everyone will be waiting for you back at the shops once you've made up, but be sure Almaz has returned to himself once again before you do!"

"Get back here!" Champloo was already gone, Mao frowned and looked down at Almaz. 'What the hell am I supposed to say to him?'

The first thing Almaz felt was warmth. 'Wait, I was sin the ice area… Why is it so warm…? 'He was pressed up against someone he was sure. Their heartbeat was steady and calmingly familiar. Opening his eyes Almaz blushed.

"Mao-sama?!" Mao blinked.

"Your awake…" Almaz nodded.

"Uh Mao-sama…"

"What?!"

"Where are you carrying me too?" Mao blushed and dropped him as if he'd been burned.

"Never mind that!" Mao looked away to hide the deepening blush on his face. "I'm s-s-sorryIsaidyourclotheswereridiculoustherenotyoulooknice!"

"Okay!" Almaz smiled at him. 'I actually couldn't understand a word he said but I'm pretty sure that was an apology…'


	11. Superhero Aurum

Chapter eleven: Superhero Aurum

Mao glared at the clean state of his castle.

"How dare he?! After all this crap he dares to change my homes decorum as well! It looks terrible!" Almaz grinned.

"So does that mean the overlord's castle didn't always look like a dentist's office?"

"No! It was dark and dank with generation's worth of effort put into making it a perfect place for an overlord and he's ruined it!" Almaz sniffed.

"It must have smelt horrible."

"It was homey!"

"Mao I live in the same room as you, your version of homey includes walls covered in weapons, surgical equipment and just about everything covered in blood or dirt. It would definitely smell bad."

Aurum entered walked through the oversized doors of the castle ready to face Mao's new evil self. 'It is time to see all my efforts come to fruition. I will finally be able to have a battle to the death against a worthy overlord after so many years.'

"Mao, back so so-" Aurum stopped and stared at the blue-haired demon standing next to Mao. 'Impossible! He should be dead!' Aurum smelled a rat. He'd made that curse specifically to make sure he would die! He growled. "Mao you fool! Do you realise what you did when you opened your heart!"

"Hey! I never opened my heart!" Everyone ignored him.

"You have ruined all my work!" Almaz frowned.

"You should never have tried to turn Mao-sama evil! You were once the greatest hero of Earth! How could you betray everyone who believed in you?" Aurum sneered.

"Tell me Almaz do you know what makes a hero?"

"That's easy! It's love and justice!"

"No you idiot! A hero must have a villain to fight otherwise they are worthless!" Aurum retreaded back into the depths of the castle fuming. He would need to change his plans to deal with this new development.

"Mao-sama? Is it just me or did the super hero seem angry seeing me?" Mao grunted. 'It does seem that way, he must have be the one to set that trap… Meaning he intended me to destroy the humans and he wanted Almaz to die. Damn it! HOW DARE HE?!'

"I've had enough of this!" Almaz flinched.

"Are you alright Mao-sama…?"

"Shut UP!" Almaz retreated to hide behind Beryl. 'I'll take that as a no…'


	12. Overlord

Chapter 12: Overlord

Mao glared at Aurum as he knelt on the ground defeated.

"Finally, I can die a hero's death…" Mao scoffed at him.

"You fool; do you think I'm just going to let you get what you want? I'm not going to kill you!" Almaz smiled. 'It seems like Mao really has changed… I've never seen him acting so mercifully before. Aurum growled at Mao threateningly.

"What?!"

"I have something much better in mind! I'm going to make you my guinea pig! Just the thought of all the experiments I'll be able to do is so exhilarating. You are indeed a rare specimen!" Mao giggled as Aurum screamed as he was teleported back to his lab. Almaz sighed. 'I guess it was too good to be true… I shouldn't expect such a dramatic change of heart from him just yet but it's a start…' Mao grinned.

"Alright, now all that's left is the dramatic final battle with dad! Mwahaha! To the Dean's office!"

"I'm telling you only a complete idiot would fall for this! Of all your hair brained schemes this is probably the dumbest you giant oaf!" The large shade that is all that remains of the Dean of Evil Academy laughed.

"Believe me I know Mao he will fall for it the moment you show how powerful you are. I've always wanted to make this joke!" The short demon in front of him growled.

"You pulled me out of my own time for a crappy joke?!" The shade continued to laugh.

"Don't be so angry my friend; I'll you that game that hasn't been released yet in your time that you want as compensation! Unless you don't want it…" The short demon sighed.

"The me in this time refused didn't I?"

"That's beyond the point! Whose going to play the other role?"

"Oh-oh pick me! I always wanted to be a mama!" Another demon enthusiastically waved at him.

"No way! It should be me! There's no way anyone would want to think they had a mama like you! I on the other hand am a perfect example of a demon and I WANNA BE THE MAMA!" The short demon sighed again.

"This game better be fucking worth it!"

Mao threw the door open enthusiastically.

"Hey dad I'm here to ki… What the hell?!" Unaware that Mao had stopped everyone bumped into him, sending Mao to a painful meeting with the throne room floor. "Get off of me you idiots!" Almaz groaned.

"Mao-sama warn a person before you decide to stop so suddenly!" Mao growled.

"There is no time for such pleasantries! This is horrible!" Almaz looked around.

"EH? It's just an empty room Mao-sama…"

"That's my point! Don't you remember when we were here before? My dad is gone!"

"Maybe he already passed on!"

"Don't be ridiculous! He's been in limbo here for 200 years why the hell would he choose now to pass on?!"

"I know! Maybe your dad only wanted to make sure you'd be okay and now that the superhero and the threat he made to the school is gone he felt it was time to pass the title of overlord over too you!" Mao gagged.

"Not a chance!" Almaz sighed.

"Why not?" Mao shrugged.

"I know my dad. He was a terrible, insensitive bastard there is no way he'd ever do something like that!"

"YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Mao frowned.

"Whose there?" A short blue haired demon materialised, followed by a taller red haired girl.

"Honestly I didn't raise you to be a snotty punk!" Mao sweat dropped.

"You didn't raise me at all! Who the hell do you think you are?" The demon raised his fist in the air.

"I'm you're papa!"

"There's no way you're my dad! You're even younger that I am! Besides you're hair is all wrong!" Almaz sighed.

"Mao-sama you've never seen you're dad's face before you said so yourself…"

"That's right you ungrateful brat! You'd think you'd be happy to find out you're dad is still alive and kicking!" Raspberyl laughed.

"We'll you certainly get you're personality from him Mao!"

"Shut up! He is not my dad!"

"I think he's got my eyes!" A blond haired girl materialized and walked over to them. Mao groaned.

"I'm not sure I want to know but who the hell are you?"

"I'm you're mama!" She smiled proudly. "Yep, he definitely has my eyes! Right Laharl-san?" Laharl grunted. The red haired girl ran up to her and grabbed her by the shirt.

"What are you doing Flonne-chan?! We agreed I'd be the mama!" Everyone gasped.

"So Mao has two mamas?" Almaz groaned. 'Now this is just getting confusing!'

"This is so dramatic! We could have a big competition trying to figure out who is Mao's real mama!"

"Etna I am obviously the mama!" Laharl groaned.

"Will you two SHUT UP?!" Seeing the look on Laharl's face both girls quickly did just that.

"This is really getting on my nerves! I'll just beat the crap out of you imposters and be done with this!" Laharl grinned.

"You're welcome to try but it won't get you anywhere sonny!"

Chapter 13:Similarities


	13. Similarities

Chapter 13: Similarities

Panting heavily Mao blocked the mad attacks of his opponent. 'Damn it, after unlocking so much of my hidden potential why is it that I'm being overpowered so easily?!' Seeing the dark purple energy forming in his opponent's free hand Mao managed to dodge by mere millimetres. The wall behind him exploded, leaving a smoking hole through at least another three walls. 'Don't tell me…'

"What the hell is wrong with you dad?!" Laharl grinned.

"Oh so now I'm you're dad eh? You changed you're mind pretty easily!"

"S-shut UP!"

"You first asshole!" Mao growled and charged at him.

Almaz shivered, the enormous amount of demonic energy that Mao and Laharl were throwing around was causing Dark Mao to get excited. '_Almazie…Let me out so we can join the party; this new guy seems like a real challenge!'_

'No, Mao-sama needs to work things out with his father alone…'

'_Don't be so stupid! That's not dad, their powers are vastly different and this guy doesn't seem to have any obvious weaknesses… He's certainly strong enough to be an overlord; an above average one at that. So let's GO!'_

Laharl continued to pressure Mao backwards, with the battle dragging out the way it was he was beginning to get bored. 'Honestly I thought since he was that man's son this would get a little more interesting!' Deciding to end things before it dragged on Laharl purposefully stopped guarding his side.

Seeing his opponent dropping his guard Mao charged for him.

"HA! I've got you now dad!" Almaz watched Mao charge, his heart beating rapidly. 'Oh no! He's going to…!'

"Mao-sama get out of the way!"

"Huh?!"

"It's too late to back off now!" Laharl eagerly swung at Mao, the cosmos blade crackled with energy. "Slasher X!" (might be real move don't remember it's something x)

"Shit!"

Laharl frowned as he felt his sword cut through thin air.

"Damn it all, he dodged!"

Mao blinked. 'Strange I should be in a pain right now… Let's see… I'm being restrained… Could it be?! Mwuhahahaha! I have finally been abducted by aliens!'

"Lord Mao are you alright?!" Drool ran down his cheek.

"Mwuhahaha! I'm so famous even aliens bow down before me!"

"Ahh…That's nice… But lord Mao can you fly on your own from now on? You're kind of heavy…"

"Huh?!" He looked up, Almaz had his arms wrapped around him, his wings strained to hold them both up. "Almaz, what the hell? Put me down you idiot or so help me I'll-I'lll put you in a frilly pink dress and call you Shirley!"

"But if I let go…"

"Shirley!"

"GAH!" Almaz dropped him instantly.

"Oh no… Lord Mao!" Mao snorted. 'What the hell is his problem? Wait… Where'd the ground go?' Mao proceeded to slam to the floor with as much grace as the Volto Brothers in ballet class.

"Damn it Almaz!"

Beryl clapped. "How impressive Almaz, no one would know you don't know how to fly yet!"

"Eh?!" Almaz's wings shrunk back to their miniature size. "That can't be good…" And with that Almaz followed Mao's lead and greeted the lovely floor of the dean's office. 'I hate it when I'm right…'

Next Chapter: Mao I am Your Father!


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